Update: Signatures to be delivered in mayoral recall

PORT ALLEN - People in Port Allen are one step closer to a possible recall election against Mayor Deedy Slaughter.

This morning, a letter was hand delivered to the Registrar of Voter's Office indicating intent for a recall election. The Mayor was also sent a certified copy of the letter.

Registrar Stacy Ryan said there's a monumental task ahead.

"We have certain software, state software that is used," Ryan said. "It's verified by deputies, goes through a process and ultimately comes to me, and I alone will make the final decision as to whether it's certified or not."

Inside the Registrar of Voters Office workers are getting ready. There are numerous boxes for the petitions that have been verified and the ones that still need to be checked. All of the names will be cross referenced with a software program to match up signatures and addresses.

Organizers told News 2 they needed 1,273 names and received more than 1,400 signatures in the community. For a successful recall election, there needs to be signatures from 33.3 percent of the registered voters in the community. The names will be turned in to the Registrar of Voter's Office Tuesday morning.

Security will be tight. News 2 has learned there will be a copy of the petition once it's turned in, and the original will be kept at a secure location outside of the office to prevent theft or other kinds of tampering.

"I have numerous internal controls," Ryan said. "I have law enforcement at my disposal and the election compliance unit. I will see how it goes and if I need to call law enforcement, I will."

The registrar will have 15 days to certify the signatures. The names will then be turned into the Governor who will have 15 days to either order a recall election or not. The earliest it could be on the ballot is by November.

The Registrar said this is the first recall effort ever in the history of West Baton Rouge Parish.